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Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro at Mandarin Orchard Singapore retained its ranking as the highest Michelin-rated Chinese restaurant in Singapore for the fourth year running, after it was awarded two stars in the MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2019.

(Executive Chef Chen Kentaro and his team at Mandarin Orchard Singapore celebrating their Michelin win)

“To be recognised alongside Singapore’s finest dining establishments is an incredible honour,” says Chen Kentaro, Executive Chef of the eponymous Szechwan restaurant. “In a culinary landscape as remarkably diverse and competitive as that of Singapore, to keep raising the bar higher is no mean feat. I continue to be guided by my vision of promoting a greater appreciation for Szechwan cuisine, and inspired by the continuing love and support of all our guests.”

Launched in 2014 as the international debut of Japan’s famed Shisen Hanten chain of Szechwan restaurants, Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro is the product of a proud culinary legacy that began in 1958 with the founding of the first Shisen Hanten restaurant in Japan by Chinese migr, Chen Kenmin, who later became known as the “Father of Szechwan cuisine in Japan”.

The torch was then passed down to his eldest son, Chen Kenichi, nicknamed the “Szechwan Sage” and one of Japan’s most celebrated Iron Chefs. It was under Chen Kenichi’s helm that Shisen Hanten expanded as a family business across Japan to become the widely acclaimed restaurant chain that it is today.

Third-generation, Chen Kentaro, now carries on the family legacy. At Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro, he articulates his mastery of Szechwan cuisine through innovative dishes that incorporate more traditional flavours with a Japanese twist. The most popular item on the menu is Chen’s Mapo Doufu, an original Chen family recipe using doubanjiang (chilli broad bean paste) that is fermented over three years. The end result is an extraordinarily soft and silky tofu dish that is best enjoyed when deliciously paired with a bowl of fragrant Hokkaido rice. Other must-try dishes are Chen’s Original Spicy Noodle Soup; Stewed Fish Fillet in Super Spicy Szechwan Pepper Sauce; and Sauted Szechwan Chilli Pepper and Chicken.

It was in 2016 that Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro joined Singapore’s first-ever list of Michelin hotels and restaurants, achieving the highest star rating for a Chinese restaurant island-wide and maintaining its status since.

The MICHELIN Guide started over a century ago awarding stars to fine dining establishments. Today it rates over 30,000 establishments in over 30 territories, across three continents. With its unique rating system, the MICHELIN Guide is a hallmark of fine dining quality for restaurants around the world. It goes to great lengths to protect the anonymity of its inspectors who are tasked to rank the different establishment based on the quality of ingredients, mastery of flavour and cooking technique, personality of chef in the cuisine, value for money, and consistency between visits.

A two-star rating is described as “a restaurant worth a detour, indicating excellent cuisine and skilfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality”.